Skip to main content

Made By A Fabricista: Let’s Make a Leather Bag

Hi Guys! I’m trying something a little different today.  We are going to make a leather bag.  I was looking around the Fabric Mart website for fabric for my next project and I came across Sue’s Pick.  The fabric choice for that day was this gorgeous black leather fabric. The best part was that the leather was only $20 a piece.  When I received it at home, I couldn’t believe how soft the leather was. I was in love.


First, we are going to make the pattern and then we’ll sew it up.  You are going to need a ruler, pencil, and scissors to draft the pattern.

Purse Pattern

Main Pattern Piece – Cut 2

1. Make a 14 x 16 rectangle.  

2. At the bottom of this pattern piece, you will cut a 2 x 2 square on each side.

3. At the top of this pattern piece, measure in 1” on each side and then measure from that point down to the corner of the cut-out square at the bottom. Cut that piece off.

Pocket Piece – Cut 1

4. Make a 7 x 10 square.

5. Go in ½” at the top and go down 3” on each side. Cut that section off.

Straps – Cut 2

6. Make a 2” x 32” rectangle. 

Cut all your pattern pieces and let’s sew!

Select one of your main pattern pieces to make it the front.  Find the center of your front pattern piece and edge your pocket piece leaving the top open.  Sewn down the middle of your pocket piece to make 2 pocket openings if you like.

With right sides together, use clips to hold your pattern pieces together and sew the 2 sides and the bottom using ¼” seam allowance.



Pin together the bottom corners and sew at ¼” seam allowance.

Turn your bag right side out.

Take your straps and fold them in half and edge stitch down the 2 long sides of the strap or you can glue them closed.  Mark 2 inches at the bottom of each strap and attach it the sides of the bag.  I used glue.

You are all done! You just made a leather bag.



How do you think I did?  I hope you like my bag just as much as I do.  Let me know if you ever get around to making this bag and make sure you keep your eye out on the Fabric Mart site for amazing deals.

Until next time!

JOHANNA @soveryjo  


Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following categories: LEATHER.

Comments

  1. This is great!!! Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you Jazz. You inspired me to make a leather bag!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow! I love the bag and the shape of it and of the outside pocket. I think it gives it some “personality.” What type of glue did you use to attach the straps? Thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  4. Fabulous bag. This is the first time I recall a Fabricista sew something with Fabric Mart leather. I have purchased so many garment weight leather skins, both smooth and hair on (shearling etc.) from FM over the years. They are always great quality, unique textures and colors, and when they are on sale, the heck with my budget.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment! All comments are reviewed before posting to help us eliminate spam. Your comment will be posted within 24 hours.

Popular Posts You Might Like

Made By A Fabricista: Revisiting a Pattern After Five Years

Have you ever used a sewing pattern and then immediately vowed never to sew it again? Well, I have. It all began in the spring of 2020 at the start of the pandemic lockdown. I tackled sewing projects that were more challenging to help me grow as a seamstress. There was one pattern in particular that almost did me in, the Seamwork Penny shirt dress. The Penny dress pattern has a classic button-up dress shirt style bodice with a gathered skirt and pockets. It is a beautiful take on a shirt dress, and my sister and I loved it. The only downside is that it was recommended for intermediate-level sewists and I was only an adventurous beginner back then.  I think I had only ever made one button-up shirt before attempting this Penny Dress and it didn’t even have a collar! Despite all of this, I thought “Why not try it, what’s the worst that can happen?”  Thankfully the worst didn’t happen, and the dress turned out surprisingly wearable, but I had some intense frustration at the end. I...

Made By A Fabricista: A Simple Frock for Spring

Hello friends! I’m really into sewing and wearing tent dresses at the moment. A tent dress is basically a wide A-line style gown. For this month’s project, I’ve opted to try out The Assembly Line’s Square Neck Dress. This style is a little avant-garde in its enormity and shape, and boasts the squared neckline it’s named after, plus some cute hem side slits.  All that volume is fun to move around in, plus there’s loads of air circulation which is cooling. This dress’s main feature–its wide and high squared neckline–really piqued my interest recently, and I added it to my Make Nine plans for 2025. I find it so satisfying to check off those boxes as I sew!  This beautiful shirtweight linen is a color I simply adore; a muted medium blue. Stormy skies, worn-in denim, and ocean waves all come to mind, and that is exactly what I want to be all wrapped up in. While I think a wild or large print would be amazingly on display in this big canvas of a dress, I also thought that a subtle ...

Made By A Fabricista: Bold Aspen Dress for Spring

 As I write this in mid-April, central New Jersey weather is showing small signs of spring. My neighbor’s daffodils are blooming and our magnolia tree is trying to unfold its vibrant magenta petals. I am in the midst of preparing my wardrobe for the warmer months, even if we are still huddling against windy 30 degree days. For me, warm weather means linen. I love breathable, floaty linen sundresses and drapey, loose linen wide-leg pants. My vision for a spring piece was something bold and bright, inspired by the natural colors of blooming flowers, but also something that could transition well between the warmer and cooler months. When I saw Fabric Godmother’s Apsen Dress, I knew that it had the sensible transitional opportunities I was looking for while also providing a blank canvas for fun prints, patterns and colors. With the pattern in mind, I then turned to the stunning linen collection that Fabric Mart always has on hand to see what colors or patterns would best suit my visio...